Apparatus for submarine signaling



R. A. FESSENDEN.

APPARATUS FOR. SUBMARINE SIGNALING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7, I918- Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICFE.

REGINALD A. FESSENDEN, OF BROOKLIN E, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SUBMA- RINE SIGNAL COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

APPARATUS FOR SUIBMARINE SIGNALING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, REGINALD A. FESSEN- DEN, of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the United States, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Submarine Signaling, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the generation and reception of impulses in elastic media, particularly sound waves, and more partlcularly to the securing of apparatus for this purpose so that directional sending and receiving of sound waves may be secured.

In the drawin s Figure 1 is a iagrammatic plan showing an arrangement of such apparatus an means for screening them, one from the others.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2-2 of Fi 1, and

ig. 3 shows a modification.

11 and 12 are sound screens which may be of any suitable type. 13, 14, 15 and 16 are apparatus for submarine signaling, for example, microphones or telephone receivers or Brocha tubes, or preferably, as shown F essenden oscillators of the type described in U. S. Patent N 0. 1,167,366, issued J anuary 4, 1916. These are arranged as shown, so that the oscillators are separated from each other by sound screens.

The sound screens shown in Fig. 1 may be made in a variety of ways. A suitable type is shown in the drawings.

A and A are the oil tanks which may contain fuel oil or Water, in which the signaling apparatus-is preferably .submerged. These tanks are covered, so as preferably to be airtight, by the deck or otherwise in the usual way, as may also be the chamber 87. 13, 14, 15 and 16 are the oscillators. 61, 62, 63 and 64 are angles to which are bolted or riveted plates 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71 and 72, as shown. The ends of these plates are bolted to other angles 73, 73, or Ts 75 or straps 76, as shown, and these are connected to '2 bars 77, 78, 79 or the plating of the ship 80 as shown. Stifi'ening pieces 81 and" 82 may be used as shown. The plates 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, and 72, together with top and bottom strips 83, 84, 85 and 86, form a cross shaped chamber 87, as shown, which may be filled with air or a sound-insulating material such as cork, etc. so as to form a sound-insulating screen.

The tube 88 fastened at its lower end to the block of wood 89 and pierced with holes 90 at its lower end, is bent over so that its upper end 91 discharges into the tank A 92 1s ashort piece of pipe fastened into the top strap 84.

The object of this device is to remove any oil WhlCh may leak into the cross shaped chamber 87, which is done by blowing air in the tube 92, thus driving out any oil which maiy haveaccumulated in chamber 87.

11 place of using rigid connecting strips for the sides and ends of the chamber flexible or non-sound transmitting ends may be used, as shown in Fig. 3, where 65, 66 are plates and 93 is a longitudinal corrugated strip riveted by rivets 94 and 95 to the plates 65 and 66 so that any sound vibration striking 65 will not cause the plate 66 to act as the other leg of a tuning fork but will keep the sound insulated.

In place of using these stifiening strips 81 and 82 the plates 65 and 66 may be kept.

pressure on the soundapart by putting in any convenient Way,

insulated chamber,

for example by compressed air. In this case it is preferred to hold the sides 65 and 66 together by means of Wires 96, 97, 98 and 99 attached to lead balls 100 and 101. This is a very advantageous and generally applicable means of preventing sound vibrations from passing from one surface to the other because the sound vibrations received by the plate 65, on traveling along the Wires or strings 96 and 98, are reflected on reaching the heavy balls of lead or similar material 100 and 101 and only a very small fraction of the sound continues to travel along the wires 97 and 99.

What I claim as my invention is l. A submarine signaling apparatus comprising a fluid tank, a plurality of signaling means located in said tank and at a distance from the Walls of the ship, and a fixed sound screen located to isolate each signaling means from all the others.

2. A sound screen comprising parallel plates separated from each other to form a chamber between them and having flexible strips connecting the edges of opposing plates whereby the vibration of one plate will not be communicated to the opposing plates.

' 3. A sound screen comprising parallel plates separated from each other and connected together to form a sound insulating chamber between them, and yielding means for holding'the Walls of said chamber apart.

' prising a fluid tank,

cal plane containing the keel of the ship and above said keel, and a second fixed sound screen located at right angles to the first sound screen, one signaling means being located in each of the right-angled triangles formed by the sound screens and the lines joining the outer extremities of the sound screens.

6. A sound screen comprising parallel plates separated from each other and connected together to form a chamber between them, means for holding the walls of said chamber apart, and means for preventing the too great spreading thereof, said con-' necting means having sound reflectors mounted thereon whereby the vibrations passing along said connecting means will be reflected.

REGINALD A. FESSENDEN. 

